I agree but A and E do have a history of introducing magic McGuffins that fix all the things. The plot doesn’t warrant it, but that wouldn’t stop A and E from introducing some sort of fix-it-all at the 11th hour that not only restores Rumple’s heart but also turns him back into the Rumple we all knew from before.
I hope that’s right, or Belle saves him somehow. If this show does another season, and Rumple’s dead I don’t think that I’d be able to watch anymore. Who else is going to make sure that things are never normal and always interesting in Storybrooke?